conversation without being obvious. "You're welcome?" I smiled with a raised eyebrow.
It worked. She chuckled and shook her head. "So what are you going to do about Killian?"
I frowned at her. "What do you mean?"
"I think you should know something about him..."
My skin prickled as I stared at her. Was she going to warn me about his temper? He'd already told me about that. "What?"
"He almost got suspended for attacking Gabe in class. I wasn't there, but I heard he just lost it. If a teacher wasn't there to pull him off Gabe..." Jewel shivered, not finishing.
"I know he's seeing the counselor about that."
"I asked Gabe about it when he called me yesterday, and he didn't elaborate. Just said Killian has a short fuse."
"Okay," I said slowly. I guess she was telling me this because we were forming a friendship of our own now, and girls watching out for each other seemed like the right thing to do.
"That's not all." She shut her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at me. "I slept with Killian freshman year."
My eyebrows rose up into my hair, but other than that, I made no physical move.
"It was a few years ago, and we chat some here and there, but he doesn't date. I tease him a little about it, and he lets me. Just like he lets the other girls he's been with and parted on good terms." She sighed and leaned forward, touching my arm for the first time since she'd almost done it earlier. "Look, I know you say you're not dating him, and I know he doesn't date. I just don't want you to get your hopes up that something more may come of your friendship with him. You won't get it. I know. I hoped I'd be the one to change his mind at one point. Not that he ever led me to believe I would," she quickly added. "He was very clear about his intentions before we hooked up. I was between boyfriends and thought if I slept with him, he might want to keep seeing me. I was stupid, but it wasn't his fault."
"Why are you telling me this?"
She leaned back and wrapped her arms around her bent knees. "Because some of the girls he's seen are delusional. I just don't want you to be one of those girls. The guy has issues. I don't want to see you get hurt by pretending there's more between the two of you than there really is."
"You know there's nothing going on with him. We're friends. New friends at that."
Jewel rolled her eyes. "Just keep reminding yourself of that. He's a player, but he's very upfront about that with the ladies."
"I don't have much experience with this, but even I know that doesn't make him a player. It makes him a whore." Though I shouldn't be surprised. He was a young, single man. Sleeping around was like a rite of passage for them. Of course, there were usually some girlfriends mixed in there somewhere, rather than just an endless stream of one-night stands.
"Exactly. Just don't forget that."
Forget that? Please...it was just one more thing for me to obsess about during my quiet musings. Not only had I been dismissed, I'd been dismissed by a whore for a sure thing in stilettos.
Yeah, that did a number on the fragile ego.
6
Killian
I slammed my truck into park, grabbed my backpack, and jogged into the coffee shop. I wanted to be early for my first writing session with Liv. I felt kinda bad after the way we'd left things Friday night, though I didn't fully understand why. I hadn't been on a date with her, and she'd left anyway. But I felt like a jerk for some reason. Maybe it was because I'd actually taken her to the fundraiser. Or maybe it was because you wanted to bail to get pussy when the opportunity presented itself . And did it ever. Chelsea had been a great fuck. Yeah, I was a dick. Was one, and thought with one, too. When I was with a woman, it was one of the few times I could let go without worrying the evil would slip out untethered.
Because the demon was getting laid, too.
"What can I get for you?" the redheaded barista asked when I walked up to the counter. She smiled in a way that showed she was
It worked. She chuckled and shook her head. "So what are you going to do about Killian?"
I frowned at her. "What do you mean?"
"I think you should know something about him..."
My skin prickled as I stared at her. Was she going to warn me about his temper? He'd already told me about that. "What?"
"He almost got suspended for attacking Gabe in class. I wasn't there, but I heard he just lost it. If a teacher wasn't there to pull him off Gabe..." Jewel shivered, not finishing.
"I know he's seeing the counselor about that."
"I asked Gabe about it when he called me yesterday, and he didn't elaborate. Just said Killian has a short fuse."
"Okay," I said slowly. I guess she was telling me this because we were forming a friendship of our own now, and girls watching out for each other seemed like the right thing to do.
"That's not all." She shut her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at me. "I slept with Killian freshman year."
My eyebrows rose up into my hair, but other than that, I made no physical move.
"It was a few years ago, and we chat some here and there, but he doesn't date. I tease him a little about it, and he lets me. Just like he lets the other girls he's been with and parted on good terms." She sighed and leaned forward, touching my arm for the first time since she'd almost done it earlier. "Look, I know you say you're not dating him, and I know he doesn't date. I just don't want you to get your hopes up that something more may come of your friendship with him. You won't get it. I know. I hoped I'd be the one to change his mind at one point. Not that he ever led me to believe I would," she quickly added. "He was very clear about his intentions before we hooked up. I was between boyfriends and thought if I slept with him, he might want to keep seeing me. I was stupid, but it wasn't his fault."
"Why are you telling me this?"
She leaned back and wrapped her arms around her bent knees. "Because some of the girls he's seen are delusional. I just don't want you to be one of those girls. The guy has issues. I don't want to see you get hurt by pretending there's more between the two of you than there really is."
"You know there's nothing going on with him. We're friends. New friends at that."
Jewel rolled her eyes. "Just keep reminding yourself of that. He's a player, but he's very upfront about that with the ladies."
"I don't have much experience with this, but even I know that doesn't make him a player. It makes him a whore." Though I shouldn't be surprised. He was a young, single man. Sleeping around was like a rite of passage for them. Of course, there were usually some girlfriends mixed in there somewhere, rather than just an endless stream of one-night stands.
"Exactly. Just don't forget that."
Forget that? Please...it was just one more thing for me to obsess about during my quiet musings. Not only had I been dismissed, I'd been dismissed by a whore for a sure thing in stilettos.
Yeah, that did a number on the fragile ego.
6
Killian
I slammed my truck into park, grabbed my backpack, and jogged into the coffee shop. I wanted to be early for my first writing session with Liv. I felt kinda bad after the way we'd left things Friday night, though I didn't fully understand why. I hadn't been on a date with her, and she'd left anyway. But I felt like a jerk for some reason. Maybe it was because I'd actually taken her to the fundraiser. Or maybe it was because you wanted to bail to get pussy when the opportunity presented itself . And did it ever. Chelsea had been a great fuck. Yeah, I was a dick. Was one, and thought with one, too. When I was with a woman, it was one of the few times I could let go without worrying the evil would slip out untethered.
Because the demon was getting laid, too.
"What can I get for you?" the redheaded barista asked when I walked up to the counter. She smiled in a way that showed she was
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